Monday, 27 February 2012

I'm always on the lookout for storage ideas for my craft room and when I saw this letter rack at a local flea market I snapped it up to alter into something a little more crafty. The project stalled somewhat after I gave it a coat of gesso and it languished on my craft room floor until recently. I couldn't believe when I actually found the BEFORE photo that I had taken it in 2008! Well, better late than never I finally finished it!

I gave it a coat of mauve acrylic paint then painted on some white acrylic paint here and there, then gave it a light sanding for a distressed shabby look. For the decorating I used a Stampington butterfly stamp on the middle section. For the top and bottom section I used two of the wonderful French typography images from Karen, The Graphics Fairy. I used an inkject printer transfer method which turned out a little distressed, but it was the look I was after so it worked well for me.

I'll be using this to store my ready to use card blanks or maybe even my spare envelopes. I like the hooks at the bottom too, extra storage! Now, I just need someone to hang it for me!

Thursday, 23 February 2012

I've had these background papers made with Distress Inks using a Technique Junkies Newsletter technique for a while and decided to use them with a Penny Black background stamp to make a set of notecards. I used Brilliance Starlite Black Pearlescent ink for the background stamp and just layered each piece onto a piece of cardstock in a contrasting colour, then added a punchy or die-cut to finish. The finished card measures 3 and 7/8" square and used Pedigree Paper textured white cardstock.

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Hi everyone, just a quick post today from me. I had my 2nd chemo treatment yesterday and thank goodness my Oncologist juggled my meds - slightly reduced dose plus an extra anti-nausea med. It seems to have worked as I haven't had any bad nausea and no vomiting. Just feeling a little 'blah' and tired.

Here's a card that I made for my son-in-law's 40th birthday a couple of weeks ago that I hadn't got around to posting here yet. A very simple CAS design using a stamp called 'Mosaic Tiles' by an Aussie company, Eclectic Images - I've had this stamp for years and I think this is the first time I've used it! I stamped it used Faded Jeans Distress Ink directly onto a textured cream card base. The greeting is by Stamp-It, stamped using Versafine Black Onyx ink. I painted the raw chipboard numbers with black acrylic paint and adhered over the mosaic background.

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Well, what a difference a week makes! Last week I couldn't have felt any worse after having chemo, but this is my week off it, thank goodness, and I feel 1000% better! I started to feel a little better by late Saturday, but yesterday I actually felt good....better than I have done in weeks! Not sure if it's the acupuncture I had on Saturday or if it's the chemo doing it's stuff, (it had want to be knocking out the bad guys after how it made me feel!) but I could actually walk pain free yesterday. I still can't walk too freely, but it's a hell of a lot better than I've been doing lately, Hubby and I even went shopping for a little while yesterday without any problems and my back still feels OK this morning too!

Here's a card I made when I started to feel a little better.

Heat embossing is what first got me hooked on stamping, but I got very lazy and just couldn't be bothered doing it for quite a long time. I picked up some nice glittery embossing powder at a craft show last year though and thought I'd give it a go with this card. I heat embossed the heart and the greeting, though you may have to click on the photo to see this properly, it does look nice and glittery in real life though. The background is stamped with a Darkroom Door floral background stamp in Fired Brick Distress Ink, the heart (Stampin' Up) also uses the same ink, the glitter EP is clear. The (Stamp-It) greeting is stamped with Versafine Black Onyx ink. I also used a Cheery Lynn doily die, ribbon and buttons from my stash. The twine threaded through the buttons is something that has been hanging around the house for years, it was originally from a kite my kids had when they were little......recycling at it's best, it's fabulous twine too!

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Hi again, I must say that my week has been pretty horrendous so far. My 1st cycle of chemo started on Monday, and the nausea and vomiting has still got a hold of me! I ended up back at the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday to try and sort out some more anti-nausea meds and a drip to top up my fluid levels..........not nice I can tell you!

Fortunately I got my card finished on the weekend as I sure haven't felt doing anything since then!

I stamped a Hero Arts Aged Background stamp with Versamagic Sea Breeze Ink onto some white cardstock and used a Stampin' Up punch to punch out the 3 hearts. The flower panel uses the same ink - the stamp is a 4 sided Stampington one. Thought it needed a littled lift so I added some aqua half pearls to the flower centres. I scored a line above and underneath the flower panel and added the Vicky Enkoff greeting underneath in Brilliance Starlite Black Pearlescent Ink. The white card is textured by Pedigree Paper and I popped the hearts onto dimensional dots.

Apologies if I cant get around to visiting your blogs this week, today is the first day I've even been able to drag myself out of bed for any length of time. I hope I feel better soon! Thanks for your visit today!

Sunday, 5 February 2012

Hi again! First of all a big thank you for those who left such lovely supportive comments on my last post, it means a lot to have such lovely blog friends from all over the world......a big cyber-hug to you all! I've been up since 5am this morning, it's been way too hot to sleep and then of course I started to get pain in my hip which killed any notion of going back to sleep again! Anyway here's a couple of off the page projects that I've been working on lately for my grandchildren - some name plaques for their bedrooms.

Most of the products used are from Kaisercraft - the wooden letters and backplates, patterned papers and acrylic paints, oh and the rhinestones.

Also used some Disney Winnie the Pooh diecuts on Ben's plaque, ribbons and buttons from my stash. Not sure who makes the ladybugs, my daughter gave me those. The chipboard heart on Annika's plaque is from Collections, not sure about the flower die-cut - might be a cheapie from the Reject Shop. The wired flower is from a $2 shop and I've had the butterflies for ages and forget where they came from.

I seem to be in a painting mood lately, I decided to renovate the doll's house I had when I was a girl for Annika to play with when she visits here. Somehow we forgot to keep the furniture too, so I've been buying bits and pieces and adding them for her.

That's all for now, hope you have a great day in your part of the world and thanks for visiting mine!

Thursday, 2 February 2012

Hi everyone, where did January go? I cant believe I haven't been here for over a month! I've done a few crafty things since Christmas which I'll post here soon.

I think it's been quite a while since I shared any of my personal life here, a lot has happened over the last few months, not much of it is good news. If you've been following me for a while you'll know that I have had bowel cancer for nearly two and a half years. I had chemo for the first year then a long break since November 2010, which for the most part I've been feeling quite well. However things began to change from about November 2011, I started getting quite a lot of back and hip pain, and the CT scan I had in December showed that my already enlarged lymph nodes are getting bigger, I also discovered further enlarged lymph nodes in my neck a while before that. My oncologist told me that I would have to start chemo again and this will commence next Monday. My back and hip pain has been getting worse by the day and pain killers are not really working well, unless I use the heavy duty stuff which just knocks me out and makes me nauseous. I've started having acupuncture for the pain and after 3 sessions the signs are encouraging with some pain relief for a few days, I'm told this should improve with further treatment. Unfortunately the pain has severely restricted my movements, I can no longer just go for a walk or practice Tai Chi, even going to the supermarket is a bit of an ordeal which I can't do on my own.

I really hope that this new lot of chemo will reduce the enlarged lymph nodes so that I can start to enjoy the things that I can't do at the moment. I've been told that the main side effects from this new chemo apart from the usual nausea, tiredness, hair thinning etc. is pins and needles in the hands and feet. Fingers crossed that I'll still be able to do some craftwork. My acupuncturist tells me that she can help with some of the side effects so I hope she can deliver there.

Sorry to be full of doom and gloom, but I'm not feeling sorry for myself I've known that this would be happening sooner or later and it's just another roadblock in life. The Monty Python song, I think from 'The Life of Brian', 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' comes to mind.....I know only too well that there are others who are much worse off than I am!